Forced Migration From Rwanda: Myths and Realities

Abstract

The ongoing Rwandan crisis has been attributed to the war between the Tutsi-dominated Rwandans in the diaspora and the Hutu-dominated regime at home. More often than not, the conflict has been presented as that between the Hutu and the Tutsi. The media largely ignored the tens of thousands of Rwandans killed in massacres that antedate the 1990s. The explanation of the crisis in terms of the repression of the Tutsi by the regime in Kigali (whose power structure is mainly Hutu) is similarly flawed. The characterization of the French intervention in Rwanda as a humanitarian venture is yet another myth. Consistent support by Belgium and France strengthened the Habyarimana regime and made it inflexible at the Arusha peace talks, which aimed at restoring democracy in Rwanda. Even though the horrors of the Rwandan genocide have now clothed the French involvement with an aura of do-gooder, the original French intervention was a case of the Imperial Twitch (Elliott 1994, 17). Realities This paper will argue that the crisis in Rwanda is the culmination of a deepseated antagonism arising out of local, national, and international conjuncture of factors. They include, among others, the colonial policies of Germany and Belgium, the lethargic response of the United Nations, the activities of France and Belgium in the post-colonial period, the regional policies of President Habyarimana, and the Khaki Factor in African politics. The assassination of Presidents